Lowman, Murray Lead 7-player Apopka Delegation

Sammie Smith, Anthony Williams, Kenny Carr and Kent Elmore all graduated to college programs a year ago, but Apopka High football didn't miss a beat.

It didn't lose a regular-season game either, winning the district and Metro Conference championships with a 10-0 record, and earning the distinction of being ranked No. 1 among Florida's elite Class AAAAA schools. And not even the disappointment of a 14-7 upset loss to Merritt Island in the football playoffs can change that.

The reasons were simple: Michael Lowman did a little bit of everything, Barry White became a block-buster of a pulling guard, Keith Johnson caught 33 passes, Mark Murray led a rugged defense, Danny Daniels provided big-play excitement, and Steve Scoggins grew into the stardom predicted for him.

Those six plus kicker Keith Reynolds give Apopka a lucky number seven representatives on the Orange Sentinel's all-county football team announced today.

Apopka's domination of the all-star squad was as overwhelming as its domination on the playing field.

White, a look-alike for Jamie Dukes, the former Orlando Evans offensive guard who made several college All-American teams this fall at Florida State, made things easier for Lowman and Charles Dowdell to run roughshod over defenses.

Johnson was the leading receiver in Orange County and showed enough skills to earn a major-college grant-in-aid. Miami and Louisville are among the schools monitoring his progress.

Murray and Lowman each won berths in the prestigious Florida Citrus Sports Association Super Seniors, and gave Apopka the privilege of being the only high school in Florida to have two representatives on the squad two years in succession. Murray, a rangy linebacker, forced foes to run away from his size and right into the eagerly awaiting arms of Al Savea, a second team all- county selection and one of Central Florida's most unsung players.

Lowman emerged at midseason as Florida's most outstanding senior running back. Yet his versatility made him so valuable. He started the year as a defensive back and wide receiver, switched to runner when needed and wound up scoring 16 touchdowns.

Daniels returned three kickoffs for touchdowns when he wasn't making tackles as a cornerback. And Reynolds quietly developed into the county's most consistent place-kicker.

''I can't say enough about these guys and about how they played this year,'' Apopka Coach Chip Gierke said. ''We knew last spring we could be a good football team. We put demands on these guys we hadn't done before, and they responded.''

Chip Gierke, in the final analysis, had to beat the team coached by his brother, Bill, for the district title. Evans placed four players on the squad, headed by bruising blocker Barry Lowe, a 255-pound tackle, who may be the school's best lineman since Jeff Zimmerman.

Lowe is joined by running back Calvin Windom (16 touchdowns), defensive end Tim Brinson, an outstanding student and leader, and defensive back Prentiss Wright, a junior who made a number of big plays during the year.

''These guys had a super year for me,'' Bill Gierke said. ''They worked hard and they played hard.''

Two other members of the squad earned positions on the Super Seniors and will be introduced on national television before the Florida Citrus Bowl as the state's finest and will represent the state in the second annual Florida- Georgia high school all-star football game June 28 at Orlando Stadium.

Hulking Thomas Rayam, of Orlando Jones, an imposing figure at 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds, was the bulwark of the defensive team. He played both ways, but coaches cited his ability to stop the running game defensively as a Jones strength.

Running back Reggie Demps, of Orlando Oak Ridge, who created a nationwide highlight film with a 232-yard, three-touchdown performance against Apopka, ran his way into national prominence with 1,028 rushing yards in just eight games. A deep thigh bruise hampered his mid-season performance, but the Apopka game reaffirmed his credibility with college recruiters.

Rayam's teammates on the team include the heaviest and the shortest players.

Big Michael Morgan tipped the scales between 320 and 340 yards but he also bowled over defenders as one of the best blockers around Central Florida. Receiver DeMarco Henderson was only 5-feet-8, but he caught everything thrown near him and also was equally dangerous as a kick returner.

''He has great hands,'' Jones Coach Ernie Swift said. ''I just wish we could have gotten him the ball more.''

John Hughes and Richard Henry, the architects of Winter Park High School's trap blocking system, complete the offensive line, and Wildcat junior Hilton Mobley, a star of the future, joins Windom and Demps in the backfield. He earned his way with 1,500 rushing yards and 108 points.

Quarterback was Tim Davis, the mastermind of the first successful football season in memory at Eatonville Wymore Tech. He passed for over 1,400 yards and was the catalyst for turning around a team that thought scoring a touchdown was great to one that almost played .500 football.